Case Number 09934

XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

The Charge

Mystical, funny, and gravity defying!

Opening Statement

Some genres come with low expectations. Children's television programming is
one such genre as most shows simply try to be loud, colorful, and distracting.
Every few minutes, they pause for sugary cereal and action figure ads. Every now
and then, however, a show arrives that transcends our expectations for the
genre. While Xiaolin Showdown doesn't quite attain this status, it
deserves better than its throwaway Saturday morning time slot.

Facts of the Case

For centuries, the Dragon-Guard monks have defended the balance of the world
against the rise of evil. (How come no one ever has to worry about the rise of
good?) This balance was disturbed once before, when the witch Wuya battled with
an ancient monk, using mystical artifacts called Shen-Gong-Wu to dominate the
world. Wuya was defeated, but the dragon guards still train, ready to be called
into action.

The newest dragon apprentice is Omi, a skilled and ambitious young warrior.
What Omi has in talent, though, he lacks in humility and knowledge of the world.
Three more potential warriors are brought to the temple to fill out the team and
help Omi with his training. One is Kimiko, a tech-loving girl from Tokyo.
Raimundo hails from Brazil and certainly has more street smarts than self
discipline. Clay arrives from Texas; his bulky and dopey demeanor hide an
uncommon intelligence and skill.

The other apprentices arrive at the perfect time. Wuya has awakened as a
ghost, and has teamed up with evil boy-genius Jack Spicer to dominate the world
by collecting the Shen-Gong-Wu. Now, the four must learn to work together as
they rush to capture the mystical artifacts before they can be used for
unspeakable evil.

The Evidence

As with most cartoon series, the formula in Xiaolin Showdown is pretty
simple. Wuya and Dojo (the temple's talking Dragon-Guard) sense a newly
activated Shen-Gong-Wu, and everyone rushes to that location. When they arrive
at the same time, it sparks a Shaolin Showdown, a contest of skills in which
each participant bets a single Shen-Gong-Wu in a battle for all three artifacts.
While the showdowns feel gimmicky at first, it quickly becomes clear that this
is the most inventive and entertaining portion of the series. Although it smacks
of Pokémon, these contests are full of strategy and creativity, as
various mystical powers are combined.

A few other things help Xiaolin Showdown stand above the pack. The
dialogue is clever and slick, especially the banter between our four heroes.
Omi's misuse of slang is consistently entertaining, and there is a level of
sarcasm between them that is rare in American kids television. The dialogue in
many of these shows is simply something to be endured between action sequences.
Here, it's a highlight. The storyline is slightly stronger as well. Although
most episodes are formulaic, there is a more complex thread that runs through
the whole season. The villains become more powerful and gain more allies. Our
team of dragon warriors becomes more powerful. They also grow as people
throughout, and make interesting decisions. It's a series that could be watched
occasionally, but viewers that stick with it are rewarded.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

For all of the fun I had watching Xiaolin Showdown, there are a few
things that prevent it from reaching true enlightenment. The series' creators
simply weren't gutsy enough to make a series that will stand the test of time.
It is obviously trying to nail the formula that Samurai Jack used to
capture a big cult audience. Not only is Xiaolin Showdown less exciting,
but it's also quite a bit safer narratively, and not in a good way. Plot details
are repeated endlessly, and there aren't enough true battles to keep an older
demographic entertained. This is Samurai Jack simplified and watered down
for kids. It's still a great series for the pre-teen crowd, but it should be a
lot more unique, exciting, and clever.

The stakes aren't high enough in this first season, either. Jack Spicer
really is a pushover, and Wuya doesn't start using any of her powers until the
last few episodes. Since she has no physical form, she has no way of getting
involved in the conflict -- yet. The arc of the first season suggests that
following seasons will raise the stakes considerably. I believe that Xiaolin
Showdown will improve as long as the writing and inventive battles stay
consistent.

Warner has done a surprisingly good job on the DVD transfer. This is
obviously not top-notch animation, but it has been delivered on one of the
cleanest full frame transfers I have ever seen. The lines are sharp, and even
the scenes full of movement don't cause any interlacing artifacts. Even though a
lot of shortcuts were taken with the backgrounds, I have no complaints with the
DVD image. The sound is strong as well, even though it has the flat soundstage
normally associated with stereo sources. Unfortunately, Warner didn't deliver
with the special features. Other than a few trailers, these discs are completely
empty.

Closing Statement

While Xiaolin Showdown is far from a perfect series, I've had an
enjoyable week watching the first season. I won't likely ever watch it again,
though, and it hasn't earned a permanent place in my collection next to
Samurai Jack. If you're looking for an amusing little martial arts series
that your kids will enjoy, you could do a lot worse. Just don't expect true
classic material here.

The Verdict

Though Xiaolin Showdown isn't as awesome as it could be, I have no
choice but to set it free for keeping me consistently entertained.